If you associate cold brew with trendy cafes and coffee snobs who wear wool beanies in July, you may be surprised at how easy and affordable it is to make at home. While a cold brew from a cafe may cost you upwards of five bucks, making cold brew at home only takes some ground coffee beans, lukewarm water and a simple filtration system.
According to Matt Scottoline, director of coffee for Philadelphia’s ReAnimator Coffee, cold brew just means coffee that’s never heated, but instead made with room temperature or cold water. Unlike hot coffee or more traditional iced coffee, for which ground coffee beans are quickly brewed in hot water, cold brew comes from ground beans that have been steeped for 12-24 hours. It uses time, instead of heat, to extract favors and caffeine from the ground beans.
Scottoline said that it’s very easy to make cold brew at home. To help you choose the best at-home cold brew tool for you, we asked our favorite baristas for tips and product recs.
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The Ovalware RJ3 cold brew maker makes four cups of coffee with a verticle brewing container that goes inside the carafe. Fill the brewing container with ground beans, pour cold water into the vessel, let it brew for hours and then enjoy.
This single reusable cold brew bag from Doppelgänger Goods is made from extra-fine mesh with a nylon drawstring that's easy to use when wet. Other baristas recommended organic cotton reusable coffee bags with the same technique.
The OXO Good Grips set includes the cold brew maker and a 32-ounce beaker. Simply put your ground beans into the brewing container, pour cold water over the perforated top and steep for 12-24 hours. When your cold brew is ready, pop the container onto the stand and use the easy press-down spigot to dispense fresh cold brew.
This eye-catching French press from Couplet Coffee can be used to make both fresh hot coffee and/or overnight cold brew.
This set includes a half-gallon Mason jar and 100 Chemex one-use filters. Other baristas suggested using cheesecloth, disposable cold brew bags and even traditional coffee filters with rubber bands for a similar result.
The Bodum Bean cold brew coffee maker works similarly to a French press, but is specifically for cold brew, so you shouldn't pour boiling water into it. It holds 51 fluid ounces and comes with a flat lid for overnight brewing and a press/spout lid for pouring. Cover your measured beans with room temperature water, attach the flat lid and leave the maker to brew in the fridge overnight. When you're ready for fresh cold brew, give it a stir, then switch to the press/spout lid to press down on the beans.